The award was presented April 25 and seeks to honor built work that demonstrates how deep reductions in energy use are essential to good design in the 21st century.

Photo credit: David Wakely

The $37 million media center project was recognized for being one of few large buildings in the world featuring a passive down draft, natural‐air heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system that operates by drawing in outside air through tower‐shaped air intakes on the rooftop.

The MLC is expected to see a savings of 71 percent less energy than the regional average for higher education buildings, placing it well ahead of the AIA’s 2030 Challenge and 2015 reduction target, and saving the campus an estimated $60,000 per year, according to Ratcliff Architects, the Emeryville firm that designed the building.

Visit the MLC website to read more about the energy strategies used in the building design.